Tambelon Returns
by SazzieCignet
Summary: Twilight and Rarity learn an old 'winking' spell, which leads them to the ancient city of Tambelon where horror awaits them, along with some of it's captives from the 80's. Her friends, along with Princess Celestia's army, race against the clock to rescue Twilight and Rarity before Twilight becomes next in line for the throne of Pony Hell, as told by an old prophecy.
1. Chapter 1

"By George, I think I've got it!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"Got what?" Spike called over from where he was rearranging books on the shelves.

"I learned the spell for winking out and in again!" Twilight gasped, and she quickly demonstrated.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Spike whooped, dropping the books he was holding.

There was a knock at the door of the treebrary.

"Come in!" Twilight called.

The door burst open and Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie entered, calling out their greetings.

"Hi girls!" Twilight replied, grinning. "Look what I just learned!" She demonstrated her winking-out-and-in-again spell.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Rainbow Dash cried, flying around in circles above her head.

"Twilight, that really was an amazing demonstration." Rarity grinned, "we came to show you this book we just found in the antique items store. It's rather...well disturbing." Her voice grew sombre.

"Yeah, it gave me the creeps!" Pinkie exclaimed, bounding over to Twilight as the purple mare picked up the book with her magic.

"The Return Of Tambelon?" Twilight frowned. She opened the book with her horn, and began to read as her friends browsed the library.

"The ancient city of Tambelon disappeared around 500 years ago, then reappeared in Dream Valley and claimed all of the Unicorn inhabitants with the ability to wink out." She read. Her eyes slid over the paper cutting that made the first page of the book. "This was from 1986!"

"Yeah, read the next part." Rainbow Dash warned from across the room.

Twilight turned the page and shrieked. The images of unicorns chained up and being tortured.

"This is barbaric!" She read on, then her breath caught in her throat. "The city of Tambelon is said to return to Equestria in the Summer of 2012 ."

"I learned how to wink out at the wrong time." Twilight concluded.

"It's okay Twilight, it probably won't happen. It's probably just an old mares' tale. And the pictures are probaby ponies acting." Pinkie Pie said, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

Twilight was pleased to hear Pinkie's optimistic outlook on the story.

"You're probably right." She smiled gratefully...

2 WEEKS LATER...

Twilight had completely forgotten about the story, and was having a picnic on Ponyville Green with her friends.

Fluttershy was cutting slices of apple pie, and Applejack was squeezing fresh cider from a barrel that she'd convinced Big Mac to carry over to the picnic blanket.

Rarity was talking about how she needed some special material from Canterlot to create a dress for a celebrity pony who was visiting Ponyville next week.

"Haven't you heard, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash began, "The Equestria Railway Network have closed the railway down all over Equestria this Summer. Something about 'history repeating itself'." She did air quotes with her wings as she said the last three words.

"Oh no!" Rarity exclaimed, "however will I get the material in time?"

"Either I or Rainbow Dash could fly to Canterlot and pick it up for you?" Fluttershy offered.

"We can't; They have the security bubble round the city again, like the time the Changelings got in...But, you know, more secure this time." Rainbow replied.

"Ah I see...Um, Twilight would you mind teaching me that winking out spell please? I really need this material." Rarity fluttered her lashes.

Twilight, of course, had forgotten about the Tambelon story, and agreed. "Of course, Rarity."

"Oh THANK YOU!" Rarity exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Now, you have to focus all your energy and thoughts on where you want to go, and let the spell flow through your horn. Now, let's try going to the waterfall on the other side of Ponyville. Ready? Repeat after me: 'Wink out!'." Twilight instantly winked out and ended up by a waterfall, shortly joined by Rarity.

Rarity squealed in delight. "Oh that was simply marvellous! Shall we go back?"

"Sure, now imagine where we just were, repeating the same steps as before, except you say, or think. 'wink in' and you'll get there." Twilight responded, her horn glowing pink.

Rarity's glowed purple, and both unicorns said "wink in" in unison, returning to the picnic.

The other ponies cheered.

"That was pretty good, girls!" Applejack excalimed, "So Rarity, are ya gonna wink out to get that material?"

"Yes I am!" Rarity grinned, "See you all in a minute! Wink out." Her horn glowed and she disappeared.

She was gone for quite some time. Almost ten minutes passed, and the friends grew worried.

"Maybe the shop ran out of material?" Pinkie said.

"I dunno Pinkie, maybe she's having a might lot of trouble winkin' back in?" Applejack replied.

"Twi, why don't you wink out and give her a hoof?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Okay, be right back." Twilight agreed, and winked out.

She opened her eyes as she heard a scream, and found herself in what looked like a dungeon full of other unicorns that she recognised from somewhere, and Rarity who was shaking in fear. The other unicorns looked weak and tired, like they were losing the will to live.

"Oh Twilight! You're here! Where is this place?" Rarity wept, hugging her friend.

As Twilight's eyes grew accustomed to their surroundings, they widened in realisation and fear. One of the others; a white unicorn with a green and red mane and tail turned her weak, weary eyes to face the two friends.

"I'm Gusty, I've been here since 1986," She croaked.

"Really? You haven't aged one bit! Where are we?" Twilight shuddered.

A blue unicorn with a yellow and red mane, with a matching foal next to her sighed.

"You really want to know?"

Twilight and Rarity nodded.

All of the unicorns looked at each other, then a pink mare with different shades of pink in her mane spoke up. "Welcome to the hell that is Tambelon."


	2. Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack stood, staring at the spot where their unicorn friends had been not five minutes earlier.

"Where do you think they've gone?" Pinkie asked, sounding much more normal than usual.

"Maybe something awful has happened!" Fluttershy said quietly. "Are they supposed to take this long?"

"Not when I saw Twilight do it a few weeks ago, or when they went to the waterfall and back." Rainbow answered.

"What are we gonna do y'all?" Applejack panicked. "What would Twilight n Rarity do?"

"PRINCESS CELESTIA!" They cried in unison.

The four of them raced to the treebrary.

"Spike! Spike! We need you, it's urgent!" Pinkie Pie called as they flung open the front door.

Spike raced down the stairs. "What's happened? Where's Twilight?" He questioned.

"Oh it's awful! Simply dreadful!" Fluttershy cried, "Rarity winked out but took a long time to get back, then Twilight winked out to go get her, but they haven't come back!"

"Oh no! What are we going to do!" Spike worried.

"We need you to write a letter to the Princess, pronto!" Applejack instructed.

"Of course." Spike answered, reaching for some parchment and a quill.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.

"Dear Princess Celestia," She began as Spike began to write,

"Something awful has happened to Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. Twilight recently learned how to wink out, and taught the spell to Rarity. They performed the spell about twenty minutes ago and haven't come back. We're really really worried. Is there anything we can do? Yours sincerely, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy."

"There, done." Spike said, breathing out a green flame to send the letter.

The ponies stood around, awkwardly silent.

Spike belched, and a reply letter hovered in the air, before he grabbed it and opened it up.

"My Faithful Pony Friends, hold tight. I'll be right there with help." Spike read.

At that moment, a bright flash lit up the room, and there stood Princess Celestia, along with her sister, Luna, Twilight's brother Shining Armour, and is wife Princess Cadence.

The ponies bowed down in their presence.

"Thank you for contacting me regarding your fears over your friends." Celestia said in a worried tone. "I brought along some help." She nodded towards her companions.

"How did you get here so quickly without disappearing?" Pinkie asked.

"We don't use winking out these days," Luna explained, "We use a teleportation spell used by one of the escapees of Tambelon. She conjured up the spell over twenty years ago. It is the safest mode of instant travel, because it's untraceable."

"Yes, and by using the old spell, it has re-opened the portal. We're lucky that nobody else knows the winking spell." Celestia added.

"Hang on," Rainbow Dash frowned, "The book on Tambelon said that it had been predicted that it would return again in the Summer of this year. How could they possibly know that Twilight would learn the spell?"

"Because," Celestia began, "I have a feeling that the spell Twilight learned was in her new book on old and unused spells. Am I correct?"

The ponies all looked at each other.

"Come to think of it, I do remember seeing that title on the book she was reading when we gave her the Tambelon book." Pinkie piped up.

Celestia exchanged worried glances with the other Canterlot Royalty.

"Hold on," Shining Armour spoke up, "Where did you find that Tambelon book?"

"We found it in the Ponyville Antique store..." Rainbow Dash answered. "How do you know about the books, Princess?"

"I was still ruling in 1986," Celestia explained, "As you know, my sister Luna and I do not age. I had already become familiar with the goings-on back then, and read of the prophecy in a front page article of the Canterlot newspaper. The article was written by, I believe, a stallion named Quillius. He was a captive of Tambelon also. He wrote of his experiences and it made front page news."

"What happened to him?" Applejack asked.

Celestia bit her lip. "He was taken to an asylum...Everypony had moved on by then, as it was some years later. They thought he might be...er...unwell." She said quietly.

"So, he's still alive?" Fluttershy asked, feeling really frightened.

Luna stepped forward; "Yes. He might be able to tell us something if we were to visit him. Or at least how to get into Tambelon and rescue the others."

"Good thinking, sister. Come with us, My Little Ponies." Celestia said.

Everypony gathered together by the door as Celestia summoned a large Pegacoach with her horn, and everypony clambered in.

"I still find it weird how we found both books in the same day." Pinkie Pie commented.

"I don't," Shining Armour replied, frowning.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Cadence asked, looking panicked.

"I think those books were planted there on purpose." Shining Armour replied, looking out of the window, sadly. "Twiley is a really bright unicorn. A lot of ponies know of her achievements. Someone must have known and done this on purpose to summon her there. Bet they didn't count on gaining an extra though."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, "what would they do with Twilight?"

Shining Armour sighed. "Make her one of them." He answered.

"Uh...Beggin your pardon, but make her one of what?" Applejack raised an eyebrow, quizzically.

Shining Armour opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. He shook his head as a tear rolled hown his nose.

Cadence nuzzled him sadly. "I think what he means is, Twilight is a very special and skilled Unicorn. And whoever is ruling Tambelon now wants to make her the next heir." She whispered.

Everypony's heart plummeted, and their eyes widened as the truth hit them.

_Tambelon had claimed Twilight as the next ruler...The next ruler of pony hell!_


	3. Chapter 3

The whole room had become pitch black. Twilight and Rarity huddled togther for comfort.

"Oh Twilight, where are we? Why is this happening to us?" Rarity cried.

"I think this is Tambelon. I recognise the surroundings and some of these uniorns from that newspaper cutting in the book." Twilight replied.

Gusty spoke. "That was no joke, Twilight." Her voice sounded full of fear, "We have been here twenty-six years. They keep testing us and our magic, but found nothing. They said they would let us go this Summer once they found and captured the true heir to the throne."

"Well, although I am very flattered to become royalty, this is hardly what I had in mind!" Rarity huffed.

Twilight smiled, in spite of everything. THAT was the Rarity she knew and loved!

The pink unicorn, who turned out to be called Galaxy, walked towards them.

"So why were you winking out, Twilight?" She asked, confused. "Winking out is an old spell now, so we heard."

"Forgive me, but how did you hear that if you've been in here all this time?" Twilight questioned.

"All of us escaped through a tunnel in the nineties." a green unicorn named Fizzy answered, lighting up the dark dungeon with her glowing horn. "Some of our friends escaped completely, some were captured and killed when they resisted, and we were brought back here. We were out for two days when they told us of the new, safe spells. Unfortunately, we never got to learn them."

"So, wait...We can use magic in here?" Twilight asked. She was met with nods from the older unicorns.

"And you've been in here this entire time?" She raised an eyebrow.

"We can use magic, just not wink out." Ribbon, the blue unicorn explained. Her daughter stirred and got to her feet, shyly staying by her mother's side.

"I can teach you to teleport!" Twilight whispered loudly.

"Oh Twilight, I almost forgot! You life saver!" Rarity grinned excitedly.

"Everypony gather around me." Twilight instructed. The others did as she said, and a purple-pink glow emitted from her horn and engulfed them all. Within seconds, they found themselves on Ponyville Green, where Twilight and Rarity had been earlier.

The other unicorns looked around astonished.

"We-we're out! That must be a new spell? Oh THANK YOU!" Ribbon cried, wrapping Twilight up in a tight hug. "We're free!"

They all cheered loudly and cried tears of joy.

"Here's a question: Where are we?" Fizzy asked, taking in the surroundings of busy Ponyville.

"This is Ponyville. I'm guessing this isn't where you're from?" Rarity answered.

"No, we are from Dream Valley." Gusty answered.

"Where in the wide world of Equestria is that?" Twilight puzzled.

"It's a valley about ten miles away from the other side of Canterlot...Or at least it was..." Buttons, another pink unicorn responded; "Grogar ordered it to be demolished and completely wiped out when everypony escaped. Some of the escapees fled into the safety of Canterlot, and still live there today!"

"Maybe we should go to Canterlot and check it out. Gather around me again please." Twilight said. Within seconds, they had all teleported into Canterlot.

"Who goes there!" A guard shouted out, upon arrival.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir, it's me, Twilight Sparkle. I come here with friends."

"Ah, Twilight! Welcome back. Please come through." The guard let down his weapon and moved aside.

Twilight bowed her head gratefully as she and the other unicorns trotted past and into the city centre, which was busy and bustling with Canterlot ponyfolk.

"Oh my, it's so busy here!" Baby Ribbon muttered.

"Don't worry. We're safe here." Rarity reassured her.

They trotted for some minutes until they came down a side alley, which contained one big building. The alleyway was totally quiet; not a soul ventured down it.

"Equestria Mental Asylum." Twilight read. Then she paused... Why had she come here?

"Why are we here, Twilight?" Rarity whispered.

"I'm not sure," Twilight admitted, "I just had this sudden thought to come here, and a name came to mind too. The name Quillius ring any bells?" She turned to the other unicorns.

"Yes. He escaped in the nineties and fled to Canterlot. Why?" Buttons frowned.

"I have a brainwave." Twilight said, pushing open the door.

"Can I help you?" One of the psychiatric nurses approached them.

"Oh um yes. We are looking for a Mr Quillius...Is he...Does he...?"

"Hello. You were looking for me?" A male voice came from behind them.

"Quillius?" Gusty asked.

The stallion nodded. He didn't look troubled at all. Twilight's brow wrinkled in confusion, as the newly-escaped unicorns all took turns hugging him.

"How can I help?" Quillius asked.

"Well, I had this sudden vision. And to cut a long story short, what do you know about Tambelon?" Twilight asked.

At that moment, the entire ward fell silent.

"Um...Come into my office everypony." Quillius said hurriedly, ushering them into a side room. He shut the door firmly.

"So...Has the prophecy come true? Is that how you all re-escaped?" He whispered.

Everypony nodded.

"Good. I knew I could count on you, Twilight Sparkle." Quillius smiled.

"Wait, how do you know who I am? How did I get these visions? What's going on?" Twilight burbled.

"Shhh, my dear pony. I sent you those visions myself. I am a skilled unicorn, if I do say so myself. I made it my life goal to study new and old magic. I was the one who sent you to Tambelon. Your skills and talent are known all over Equestria. I knew you could rescue my old friends."

Twilight blushed at the older stallion's words of praise.

He looked at the old unicorns. "I see the anti-ageing spell is still in effect over there?"

They all nodded.

With a glow of his horn, Quillius transformed all of the unicorns into the older versions of themselves.

"No way!" The unicorn who was previously Baby Ribbon cried, "I'm like...Older!" She grinned in delight. "But now I'm gonna need a new name..."

"How about Rosette?" Her mother suggested.

"Love it! Only problem is, now we look identical. How is anypony gonna tell us apart?" Newly-named Rosette pondered.

"I'm sure you have waited long enough for a make-over." Quillius chuckled, "Not to worry; Our resident beauticians, Cocoa and Shea will help you with that. He pressed a button on his intercom.

Shortly after, twin mares (A cream mare with a brown and white mane, and a brown mare with cream and white mane,) entered the office. "Yes Mr Quillius?" The cream mare asked.

"Please take Rosette here along to the parlour, and give her an entirely new look. Dye her mane and tail...Everything. Charge it to my office." Quillius answered.

The mares nodded and led Rosette out into the corridor but Quillius spoke up again. "Hang on...These unicorns have had a very difficult few years. They need a wash and a make-over too. Could you help them out? They're old friends of mine."

The other unicorns left the room, leaving Twilight and Rarity with Quillius.

"Sorry about that, where were we?" He blinked.

"Oh, well I was going to ask why you sent me to Tambelon, and sent me all these visions?" Twilight questioned.

"Ah, yes. Well, as I said, your abilities and talent are famous across Equestria. You're Princess Celestia's own special student are you not?"

Twilight nodded.

"This quest was just for you, Twilight. You see, I sent you to Tambelon to rescue my friends. But do you recall a sudden recolletion of your teleportation spell whilst in the dungeon?" Quillius continued.

"Yes, I do actually. Why?"

"I sent that to you Twilight, because Grogar, the ruler of Tambelon was approaching the dungeon. You see, he has been searching for the heir for many years, as he cannot go on much longer."

"The...heir?" Twilight stammered.

Quillius nodded solemnly. "Yes Twilight. Grogar has heard of your powers and wanted to test your magic to see if it was you so you could take his place. There is another heir, but she is much harder to capture, so Grogar thought it best to capture you instead. I had to rescue you."

"And, who is that other heir?" Rarity asked, gulping.

Quillius got to his feet and wandered over to the window. It was moments before he spoke.

"Princess Celestia."


	4. Chapter 4

Princess Celestia and her small army of ponies landed in Canterlot, and headed over to the Asylum, where Twilight, Rarity and the Tambelon ponies had just left, unbeknownst to them.

"This place looks scary...Maybe I should wait outside." Fluttershy hesitated.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash objected, shoving Fluttershy through the doors, "We have a rescue mission."

Princess Celestia frowned as they entered.

"Something isn't right here..." She declared, "these ponies have all been brainwashed."

"How can you tell, Princess?" Applejack asked.

"Their eyes are all grey, have you noticed? And they seem too...agreeable." Celestia replied. Her horn glowed, and immediately the room flashed with a pale blue light. All of the staff shook their heads and looked around as their eyes returned to normal.

"What...? Where are we? What happened?" One of the nurse ponies stammered.

All of a sudden, alarms started blaring and red lights flashed. The front doors were instantly blocked by iron bars.

"W-what's happening?" Fluttershy trembled.

"Quillius has escaped his room!" A senior nurse shouted. The staff all ran around manically, securing exits and calming down the other patients.

Quillius stepped out of his office and turned pale at the sight. He made a run for it, but the senior nurse stopped him.

"Oh no you don't!"

"Sandy it's me, Quillius!" He cried.

"Knock it off, I'm not brainwashed anymore!" The nurse retorted as she held him in place with a spell.

Quillius turned to look at Celestia and her army. He grinned a menacing grin.

"Hello Princess!" He hissed, "You and your little protigée will soon be where you belong!"

"What have you done with Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled at the tan pony.

Quillius laughed. "I haven't done anything with her," he said, "But pretty soon Grogar will! She's the heir to Tambelon, along with you!"

Princess Luna immediately blasted the pony with a purple flash from her horn, completely immobilising him. "NOPONY THREATENS MY SISTER!" She boomed.

The nurse took that as her cue to pin him to a bed and secure him down, where he was wheeled away by two hench-looking stallions in white coats.

Princess Celestia thanked Luna, before turning to the others.

"I was able to gain access to his mind. Be aware that he knows a lot of spells; Old and new. We must act quickly." She warned, as the security was turned off, and she led the others out into Canterlot city centre at a gallop.

"What else was in his head? What's happening to my little sis?" Shining Armour asked desperately.

"He's been sending her visions and getting into her head. He's the one who sent her to Tambelon. Twilight has been here, and while he did help her out at first, that was all a ploy. A trick, if you will." Celestia explained as she led them all to the Canterlot Archives. "He intends to brainwash her like he did to the staff at the asylum. He wants her to think that I have been imprisoned and that she has to rescue me, too."

"So, this crazy guy works fer this Grogar?" Applejack asked.

"I believe so." Celestia sighed as they reached the Archives and began to search the shelves.

"Please, help me find a book entitled '1985-1995 Equestria Asylum Archives." Celestia instructed.

Everypony looked for a few minutes.

"I found it!" Pinkie cried.

She took the book over to the large desk by the Southern-facing window, and everypony crowded round.

"Look!" Cadence said, "13th July 1992; Quillius escaped from the ancient city of Tambelon two days ago, claiming he had suffered at the hands of a beast named Grogar. Many of the Canterlotonians knew of the Tambelon tragedy, though years have passed, yet three of the escapees came forward with information that, while Quillius had indeed been imprisoned, he had been experimented with the most, as he possessed the most knowledge and the skill to learn all magic spells." She paused. "It is believed that the Quillius who escaped back into Canterlot was, in fact, Grogar himself, who morphed into a pony after brainwashing and then killing the original Quillius for escaping, and thus killing some of the other unicorns who followed him out. The surviving captured unicorns have since been brainwashed into believing that Quillius is alive and well. The reasons for them being spared is currently unknown. It is believed that 'Quillius' will come forth and capture the next heir to the throne; A unicorn who possesses all knowledge and all magic, once his morphing spell wears out after ten years." Cadence gasped and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh Twilight! You were my new sister, and now we're going to lose you forever!" She wept uncontrollably, as Shining Armour hugged her, also crying.

Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash began to well up too. What could they do to rescue their friends?

"Everypony, please don't panic. We can rescue Twilight and Rarity." Celestia announced. "I will be the next heir."

"Sister, no!" Luna objected.

"It has been decided." Celestia answered firmly. "I shall play the part and offer myself up. Remember, as Royalty, there are some powers Grogar cannot access, no matter how powerful he is. They have the Royal seal on them, therefore, they are protected, so I can defeat him before I become the heir. We shall fly over to Tambelon now. As I understand it, a bell was rung last time to mark the ponies' freedom and banish Tambelon back to whence it came. Unfortunately, some unicorns remained trapped there. We can free them. Who's with me!"

Everypony cheered and stomped their hooves.

"Oh girls, you'll be needing these." Celestia produced a gold trunk; Inside were the Elements Of Harmony.


	5. Chapter 5

Princess Celestia and the others took a large Pegacoach to the outskirts of Equestria. It took them some time, but when they got there, they spotted a fuzziness to the area ahead.

"Brace yourselves, My Little Ponies, there may be some turbulence!" The Princess warned.

The Pegacoach went straight through the strange warp-hole and ended up in a dark looking land with an ancient castle in the distance. The pegasi pulling the coach landed swiftly and Princess Celestia cast an invisibility spell upon them.

"Please wait, you won't be detected." She said, before turning to face the castle in the distance.

"Well, this is it. Luna, fly overhead and check the perimeter please."

Luna nodded and took off.

"What now, Princess?" Fluttershy mumbled fearfully.

Celestia sighed. "All we can do now is be patient, dear Fluttershy."

They sat in the long grass and waited for Luna to return.

Before long, Luna flew back towards them, frowning. "Nothing." She summed up; "I even used a spell to uncover invisibility, but there are no guards at all. I did however see Twilight and Rarity leading some other Unicorns through the front gates. I did not say anything, so as not to cause unwanted attention to us all."

"Good thinking, little sister." Celestia replied. "But why would they leave the place unguarded?"

A silence fell over the group, before Shining Armour spoke up;

"Maybe they did it intentionally...They could see her coming. Quillius must have alerted everyone somehow." He gasped.

"Of course! That makes sense!" Applejack responded. "We need to play this smart like."

"Can't we just bust into the place and grab Twilight and Rarity and fight them the easy way?" Rainbow Dash groaned.

"Oh sure, if ya want us all to be captured!" Applejack rolled her eyes. "Besides, that might make things worse."

"She's right," Fluttershy piped up, suddenly feeling braver than ever, "We need a foolproof plan! In fact..." She took off from where she was sitting and flew towards a tree full of frightened birds.

"Um excuse me...Hi..I was wondering if you could please do me and my friends a huge favour...?" She asked.

After a few moments, she was leading the birds through the sky, towards the castle.

"What the hay is she doin'?" Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"I think she's creating a diversion..." Princess Celestia answered.

Sure enough, Fluttershy led the birds over to the very top turret of the castle, just by the window, but out of sight should anyone look outside.

"Now, after me please. A-one, a-two, a-one, two three..."

The birds started singing a loud, gleeful tune outside the window.

At that moment, an old-looking horned reature ambled over to the window and peered out. He looked weak and wheezy, showing obvious signs of old age and fatigue.

"Hello?" He wheezed.

"THAT GUY is Grogar!" Rainbow Dash cried, "Oh come on! He's ancient!"

Fluttershy seemed to notice too, and asked the birds to stop singing as she flew down to the window.

"What happened to the singing? Was that you? Why did you stop?" The old creature asked sadly.

"Oh I'm awful sorry sir, it's just...I thought you would appreciate it. You know, living here all alone..." Fluttershy said, meekly.

Grogar sighed. "I wish I was alone here. Not because of you, Little Pony, but because of him!"

"Him who?" Fluttershy asked.

"The pony who sucked all the life out of me. He's pure evil." Grogar answered, before having an unpleasant coughing attack.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy said.

"Yes...Quillius is his name. I used to rule over this land capturing ponies to work for me. Until I grew old and realised what a terrible thing I had done. Quillius caught on to this and tried to make me start again. I refused...So, he took over and re-captured some, even killed some." Grogar explained.

"Oh...I heard that Quillius was you?" Fluttershy replied, puzzled.

Grogar frowned, equally confused. "Oh no, little pony, Quillius is much worse. He betrayed his own kind and was sent to Tartarus for it, which of course is guarded by Cerberus. He escaped and wound his way back here to carry on where he left off. I think all the experiments my old servants performed on him made him insane..." Grogar lowered his head, shamefully.

"So...Where is everyone now?" Fluttershy dared to ask.

"I let them go." Grogar answered. "Quillius helps himself around here these days. I told him to release the ponies in the dungeon, but he refused. I was too weak to stop him, so he just does as he pleases and I can't do anything about it."

"That's awful!" Fluttershy gasped.

In the time it had taken for Fluttershy to talk to Grogar, Princess Celestia had led everyone inside the grounds.

"It looks like Quillius isn't here yet," she whispered. "It's deserted!"

"This place is really scary." Cadence shuddered.

"I'll keep you safe." Shining Armour nuzzled his wife.

"WOAH NELLY!" Applejack exclaimed. The ponies turned to look where she was looking and gasped.

There were dead ponies embedded into the walls, that had been turned into stone.

"That's horrible!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"Oh my goodness!" Luna gasped, "This is barbaric!"

"Come on, let's find Twilight Sparkle and Rarity and bring them back home." Princess Celestia announced, galloping up a corridor to the right of them.

Everyone else followed by the light of the fire-lit torches on the walls.

"Wouldn't hurt to put some chandeliers and soft carpet in here is all I'm sayi-OW!" Rarity rubbed her head and got to her feet after being run into. "Princess Celestia! Girls! I am so glad to see you!" She hugged everyone in turn.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Twilight asked, confused. "I tthought you got captured, Princess?"

"No, but you were lured here by Quillius." Celestia explained, "I'll explain on the way." She galloped in the direction of the stairs leading to the turret where Grogar was.

Princess celestia began to explain about Quillius and Grogar, and Twilight's eyes widened.

"And to think, I actually believed Quillius!" The purple unicorn fumed. The other unicorns that Twilight had rescued all gasped in shock, too.

They all reached the top turret and found Grogar with Fluttershy and the birds, sitting around the fire, chatting.

"You look cosy!" Rainbow Dash announced sarcastically.

"Oh hello girls. Grogar and I were just talking. Twilight, Rarity! Oh my goodness I'm so glad you're alright." She hugged them both.

"Ponies, you need to leave. Quillius will be back soon I'm sure of it!" Grogar pleaded.

"He already is, Grogar."

Everyone turned around to see the tan pony in the doorway. "Hello girls. Did you miss me?" He grinned menacingly as the ponies and Grogar all froze in fear.


	6. Chapter 6

"You won't get away with this Quillius!" Twilight bared her teeth angrily.

Quillius had locked all the ponies in the dungeon, along with the old ruler Grogar.

Grogar sighed as he tried to barge the door with his horns, but recoiled in pain.

"I am too old and weak for this." He hung his head. "This is all my fault. I should never have done this in the first place all those years ago. I gave him these ideas. I have every right to be here." A tear rolled down his goat-like nose.

Celestia and Luna exchanged a sorrowful look.

"Grogar my friend," Celestia began, "You may have been bad once but now you have seen the error of your ways and changed for the better. You have learned the true meaning of friendship."

"Thank you, Princess." Grogar replied meekly.

"LET US OUT!" Rainbow Dash was yelling, flying into the bars to knock them down. When that failed, she tried pulling them. To no avail.

"Oh, this is awful. How will we ever get out of here?" Fluttershy cried.

"I have to agree. This dungeon is just vile!" Rarity complained.

The older ponies were already walking around a corner in the dungeon.

"Guys, where are you going?" Twilight called.

"Follow us, but be quiet." Fizzy replied in a hushed tone.

Everyone gathered round the corner, as the older unicorns pushed against a rock in the wall. Ribbon touched her horn to the brick, and it crumbled, showing a passageway.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash gasped.

"Well I'll be." Applejack added.

"Less talk, more walk." Galaxy whispered. Everyone followed on behind Ribbon and the other old unicorns.

"My mother and the others dug this years ago. But we were too afraid to use it until now." Rosette admitted.

The tunnel was pitch black and seemed to go on forever. Twilight's horn glowed and a white light shone out.

"I learned this one myself." She explained to a baffled Princess Celestia.

"Impressive!" Celestia answered.

The ponies reached an iron gate at the end, and Twilight turned off her horn light.

They all peered out of the iron rungs of the gate. Clear. They pushed it open and trooped out.

Grogar hung back.

"Care to join us?" Applejack frowned.

"More than anything," Grogar said, "but I don't deserve it. I shall stay here and fight off Quillius. You escape back to Equestria."

Twilight frowned. "You're not the same guy anymore. Come with us." She pleaded.

"If I succeed and survive...Then I shall join you. Even though for a short time, you have been wonderful friends to me. I do not deserve such a blessing for my past crimes." Grogar answered.

"People change, we believe ya, now come on." Applejack said desperately.

Grogar sighed and followed them as they snuck through the empty courtyard.

"Well, well. Going somewhere?"

Everypony turned around, and saw Quillius standing on a top turret of the castle.

He turned around to gallop down the stairs.

"RUN!" Pinkie Pie cried.

Everypony broke into a rapid gallop across the courtyard and out into the fields that they had been in earlier.

"We need a plan, y'all!" Applejack cried.

"Agreed." Luna answered, turning to look at her sister.

"Let's leave this decision up to the Elements of Harmony." Celestia replied.

Twilight thought for a moment.

"Okay. We all gather into a circle, the non-magic ponies in the middle of us. Shining Armour; You use your protection bubble spell over all of us. All us other unicorns will use their magic together to teleport us back home." Twilight said.

"How do we do that? We don't know the spell." Gusty said, sadly.

"Think back to where we all were earlier; The picnic on Ponyville Green. Imagine you want to go there, and imagine as hard as you can." Twilight replied.

They all gathered in a circle, as Twilight had instructed. The non-magic ponies all sat in the middle.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness." Fluttershy whimpered.

Rarity held her hoof reassuringly. "It will be okay, Fluttershy dear."

Quillius came galloping toward them just as Shining Armour cast his protection spell.

"Grogar, look out!" Cadence cried.

The bubble reached Grogar last, but not after Quillius had shot a spell at him.

"PONYVILLE GREEN!" The unicorns cried.

In a flash, everypony disappeared from Tambelon grounds.

Quillius shook with rage. "NO!" He cried, as he too, teleported.


	7. Chapter 7

The ponies found themselves in Ponyville Green at last, and paused to catch their breath.

"Everypony okay?" Princess Celestia asked.

They all nodded.

"WAIT!" Fluttershy suddenly cried. She raced over to where Grogar had landed in a crumpled heap, his breath coming out in gasps.

"Grogar?" She whispered. He looked up at her weakly.

"I got hit by a spell. I'll be okay." Grogar said unconvincingly. He tried to get to his feet, but stumbled.

At that moment, there was another flash, and Quillius landed on Ponyville Green, angrily.

"YOU!" He snarled at the ponies. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

"Get into position girls." Celestia snarled as she glared at Quillius.

The mane six were already wearing the Elements of Harmony as they stood in formation, ready to save Ponyville - and Equestria - once again.

Just as the Elements emitted their magic beams, Quillius shot a green light at the ponies at the same time.

Grogar recognised the green light as a murder spell. His eyes widened, and suddenly, time seemed to slow down.

The Elements of Harmony reached Quillius and took away his powers, just as Grogar found his strength and leapt in front of the ponies, taking the full blow of the green beam.

Quillius had been defeated, and he lay choking and gasping in a heap.

Grogar, on the other hand, lay lifeless on the other side.

"NO! GROGAR!" The ponies called at the same time. Twilight raced to his side.

"Grogar, talk to me. It's me, Twilight Sparkle." She pleaded, nudging him with her muzzle.

He groaned lightly and opened his eyes. A tear rolled down his face once again.

His mouth opened and closed for a few seconds. By that time, all the ponies had gathered around him, looking stricken.

Fluttershy was practically crying. "Please wake up Mr Grogar Sir." She begged.

He looked up sadly, but managed a weak smile. "Thank you," he whispered, "for being my friends." And with that, he slipped away.

Everypony burst into tears, including the usually manly Shining Armour.

Celestia and Luna were also distraught.

Twilight hung her head, the tears were really falling now. She swallowed and turned to face Quillius, snarling angrily.

He had lost all use of his magic by now, but he clearly had some fight left in him.

"Let's settle this the earth pony way." He challenged.

Celestia shook with anger. "You murderer!" She shouted, "There is no place in Equestria for you!" A massive pink beam shot from her horn, and Quillius disappeared.

"I'm sorry you all had to see me like that." Celestia breathed.

"Where did he go?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I banished him to Tartarus, where he belongs. Cerberus will not be letting him out!" Celestia explained.

She turned to everypony but her main attention was on Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle. I truly believe you are destined for greatness." She announced.

"You mean...I should have taken over the Tambelon Throne?" Twilight stammered.

Princess Celestia nodded.

"But...I'm not evil, Princess." She cocked her head, confused.

"No, you are right. But there is no longer an evil influence over Tambelon. Go, Twilight Sparkle. Go and restore peace to another great land." Celestia stepped forward and lowered her head. She touched her horn to Twilight's left shoulder, then the right.

"In the name of Equestria, I hereby dub thee Twilight Sparkle; Princess and Ruler of Tambelon. And the Princess of Friendship and Harmony."

Twilight's eyes welled up again. The prophecy had come true - Perhaps not in the way Quillius had told her, but it had come true nonetheless!

"Congratulations, Twilight er I mean..Princess Twilight." Rainbow Dash cried. "Any room for us?"

"We'll move with you Twilight!" Pinkie Pie grinned.

Twilight nodded, but turned to look at Grogar's lifeless body. "How can we celebrate at a time like this?" She wept.

Everypony hung his head. Even the older unicorns showed great remorse.

"He was evil once, but he really did change." Rosette cried. "I feel bad for hating him for so long."

"Should we hold a funeral?" Princess Luna asked.

The ponies nodded.

"Yes, my sister." Celestia agreed, holding back tears.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life, and mourn the passing of our friend Grogar. He was not our friend for long, but the short time that he was, he saved our lives. While he began his life with hatred in his heart, he soon changed paths and proved to us all that people change. He showed the greatest Element of Friendship and Harmony that anypony could wish for; He showed the Element of Sacrifice. His sacrifice shall forever be remembered and his soul cherished forever. Goodbye Grogar. You were a true friend."

Princess Celestia's fond words touched everypony's hearts. Twilight felt numb.

She had lost a new friend who had sacrificed himself for them all, but had also gained a Kingdom and Throne. She felt guilty for even thinking about her new reign at a time like this.

The ceremony ended and sad music played as everypony trooped out of the building.

The undertaker ponies took the coffin into the graveyard and lowered it into the ground.

There were no dry eyes as the funeral ended.

Everypony returned to their own homes to pack. Newly-formed Alicorn Twilight returned to the Treebrary to finish packing. Tonight, she was moving into the newly renovated Tambelon castle, and had arranged to have her bedroom situated in the new extensions of the library wing.

Spike was accompanying her. He was admiring Twilight's new wings and height.

"Did Princess Celestia transform you?" He asked.

"Yeah, she did." Twilight answered, packing the last of her books. She took a long look around the treebrary and sighed. This was it. This was goodbye.

Moments later, Twilight, Spike and their belongings were in a Pegacoach, followed by her friends in more Pegacoaches.

They landed in Tambelon after a short flight, and moved all of their stuff in. Tambelon was no longer a dark, haunted place. The castle had been renovate and re-painted so that it looked bright and welcoming.

Twilight felt heavy-hearted as she entered the library wing.

This was where Grogar had lived. It was coincidential that it was the library wing, where she always enjoyed to be.

The ponies chose their own rooms, and the new employees were so warm and welcoming.

It didn't at all feel like the Tambelon they had been in just days ago. It was amazing what magic could do. Twilight smiled to herself at this thought.

There was a knock at the door, and a maid pony walked in, curtseying. "Princess Twilight, is there anything you need?" She asked pleasantly.

"Please, call me Twilight." Twilight smiled warmly, "And a drink of water would be great, thank you."

"Yes Your Highness. Dinner will be ready shortly." The maid curtseyed again before leaving the room.

Twilight sighed and surveyed the bright library. She truly felt at home here. She wandered over to the full-length mirror and took in the sight of herself as an Alicorn; As a Royal.

She embraced the feeling, and the sight of the tiara upon her forelock and smiled in spite of her sadness. A voice filled her head; 'Thank you for bringing peace to Tambelon.' It was Grogar's voice. Twilight anxiously looked around, but nobody was there. A warm feeling of peace and acceptance spread through her, as the bell for dinner rang.

Princess Twilight made her way down the stairs...


	8. Chapter 8

Twilight awoke the next morning.

"Spike! Spike! I just had the weirdest dream..."

"What's wrong, Princess?" Spike cried, running from his bed over to Twilight.

Twilight shook her head and gazed into the mirror. So, not a dream then...

"I was going to say that the events of this past week were all a dream, but evidently not." She replied quietly.

Spike placed a clawed hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry Twi," Spike whispered back.

"Not to worry. I have duties to do." Twilight sighed. "Boy how weird it feels to say that!"

She made for the bathroom to clean up before heading down for breakfast, where her friends greeted her.

"May I say how wonderful it is to finally live in a castle. I always dreamed of this day!" Rarity squealed excitedly, then she saw Twilight.

"Your Highness." She smiled, lowering her head gracefully.

"Oh stop. You guys can still call me Twilight." Twilight blushed.

The ponies made their way to the buffet table and chose their breakfasts.

At that moment, the fireplace in the dining room roared, and spat out a scroll.

Spike ran over to retrieve and read it. "Guess I'm not the messenger service anymore. That will make my throat less sore." He winked, before reading:

"Dear Princess Twilight,

I cannot believe we are writing that now; We are so proud of you! Shining Armour and Cadence told us everything.

We cannot tell you just how proud and pleased we are that both of our children have come so far in life. We are sorry for the loss of your new friend, also. And am so proud that you once again saved Equestria!

You will make a fine Princess and we will visit during the week.

All of our love,

Mom and Dad xxxx"

Twilight's eyes welled up and she smiled to herself.

All of her friends looked at her.

"You alright there, sugar cube?" Applejack asked.

"I'm better than alright," Twilight nodded, "Even after everything that happened recently, I finally feel at peace. After Grogar's death and how he sacrificed himself for us, I feel like friendship could one day save the Universe, and I'll do anything in my power to ensure that happens."

"And we'll be here right by your side!" Pinkie Pie said, giving Princess Twilight a hug.

"That's right, we aren't going anywhere Your Highness." Fluttershy smiled.

"And for the record Twilight dear," Rarity began, "You really DO make a fine Princess."

***** THE END *****


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